'We had orders to reduce Taj Hotel to rubble'

Mumbai, Nov 29: Arrested Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab has confessed that the terror group that spread mayhem across Mumbai, had received instructions to reduce the prestigious Taj Mahal Hotel to rubble, if the need arose.

A Times Now report quoted sources as saying that 21-year-old Kasab has told his interrogators that the terrorists had enough explosives to blow up the hotel. Sources told the TV channel that the terrorists wanted to reduce the Taj hotel to rubble and replicate the destruction wrought on the J W Marriot Hotel in Islamabad a couple of months ago.

Kasab, who hails from tehsil Gipalpura in Pakistan's Faridkot region, also said that he wanted to live. He reportedly told his Mumbai Police interrogators that he and his 39 colleagues were given the impression that they would come back alive after carrying out their mission of mayhem in India's commercial capital.

Kasab revealed that the terrorists were scheduled to sail out of Mumbai on Thursday, adding that their recruiters had even charted out the course to be taken with the help of a global positioning system device. Kasab also told police they had done a reccee of Mumbai few months ago. He said he had come along with eight operatives, posing as students and lived in a rented room at Colaba market.

Sources told a newspaper that this safe return bait was enough to convince the terrorists to undertake the audacious mission that has so far left over 120 dead, including several foreigners and over 300 injured.

According to Ajmal, the Lashkar-e-Taiba had trained all terrorists in marine warfare. According to one report, they received training in a special course called Daura-e-Shifa which converts a routine terror strike and into a specialized commando raid.

According to one newspaper report, Kasab has revealed the name of his fellow jihadis, all Pakistani citizens, as Abu Ali, Fahad, Omar, Shoaib, Umer, Abu Akasha, Ismail, Abdul Rahman (Bara) and Abdul Rahman (Chhota).